It's finally here: the PLAYOFFS. 18 teams are competing for three conference trophies and one OIL trophy. This year is a mix of old and new as perennial contenders and newly-competitive managers will battle over the next four weeks. To the matchups!

Click on team logos to view manager pages on okiraqi.org. Click matchup titles to view the matchup on Yahoo!

Congratulations to Zerger, Cliburn, Pyle, Lutonsky, Buehre, and Neely on finishing in the top two in their respective conferences. Enjoy your wins this week.

For the second-consecutive season, defending champion Lance Zerger and his Redlegs have clinched a first-round bye. Joining him is Sir Neely and his Hooligans, making their first appearance in the top two.

Joining Zerger and Neely in the AFC playoffs are Green, Nye, Schuster (making the playoffs for the first time), and Peacock.

​Cocks

Tale of the Tape

Doughboys

7-6

Record

9-4

126.88

Points Per Game

147.12

146.71

OPR

178.72

Both these managers are returning to the playoffs after being strong contenders in 2016, but neither could pull off the championship last season. Look for the Doughboys to make a strong statement that they are not over their 2016 Thunder Bowl defeat.

Only 12 teams remain in contention in the OIL playoffs after Nye, Roe, Cliburn, Jessen, Baldwin, and Cordes were knocked out in round one. Half of the semifinals field had a bye last week, so this is their first test since Rivalry Week. Good luck, guys. As always, game-by-game analysis after the jump.

42 teams have been whittled down to 18 in a quest for trophies, jerseys, a helmet, and everlasting pride. The OIL Playoffs are here. Congratulations to those teams that earned a first-round bye, in particular Zerger and Pyle. Zerger set a new OIL record for most points in a season while Pyle tied the OIL record for best regular season record (12-1, previously held solely by Cliburn's 2010 team). Peacock received a bye after setting a record for least points in a season last year. Cobb earned the bye for the first time in his OIL career, as did Tadlock and Buehre in the PFC. Full analysis of each first-round matchup after the jump.

Teams Enjoying a First-Round Bye:

It took 12 weeks, but we finally have 2/3 of the playoff picture sorted out. Pyle, Cobb, Finch, and Cliburn have clinched playoff spots. Jessen, Trovillo, Bruesch, and Duffy are fighting for the final two berths. That makes this Rivalry Week incredibly important. Each of the four managers still hoping to clinch a playoff spot are in absolute must-win situations in this, the most important week of the season. Good luck to everyone but Duffy. Fuck Duffy, for this is Hate Week.

Head-to-head records in paranthesis

#4 Arrogant Americans vs. #8 Hangovers​(8-4)

Duffy has a very slim chance at the playoffs, even with a victory during Rivalry Week. So this game will be his OIL Bowl. Meanwhile, Cliburn has clinched a playoff spot. The 'Mericans are not as strong as their record indicates, but they're facing a Hangovers team that has battled injuries and disappointment all season. I am picking my 'Mericans to take back the crown in this grudge match.

Welcome to Love/Hate Week, also known as Rivalry Week. Unfortunately for some teams, they have to beat their rivals to secure a place in the playoffs, Some teams have an outside shot at getting the second place bye in the playoffs. The rest is playing for pride. This week is really going to have a good story line for a lot of teams.

Game of the Week:​#1 ​Redlegs vs. #3 Rebel Alliance

The Rebel Alliance beat the Redlegs last year, ensuring their spot in the playoffs while keeping the Redlegs out of the tournament. This matchup seems to be a close one as it is an even push. I like the Rebel Alliance in this game, as they have more to play for than the Redlegs, however, the Redlegs have been on a hot streak as of late, winning six straight games.

Week 12 promises to answer a lot of questions about the playoff picture. Jessen, Finch, and Cobb can each stake a strong claim to the number two playoff seed with wins this week. Duffy, Schmidt, Bruesch, and Trovillo can see their playoff hopes dwindle with losses. And Pyle can get one step closer to tying the record for best regular-season record.

I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving. As cheesy as it sounds, my favorite Thanksgiving was spent with all of you 10 years ago at Camp Virginia, Kuwait. Here is what I wrote of that day almost exactly 10 years ago:

Thursday, November 23, 2006

Happy Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving has always been myfavorite holiday. It always seemed sogenuine to me, unlike other holidays which most people see solely asan excuse to receive gifts, drink beer, or skip work. Perhaps it washow my parents treated Thanksgiving that made me appreciate it somuch. I remember every year my mom would only allow us to havethirteen kernels of corn on our plate because that was the ration thePilgrims had to sustain themselves with in order to survive that falland winter. Looking at the thirteen kernels sitting alone on theperiphery of my gigantic plate, I gained an appreciation for just howmuch they struggled, perservered, and, most of all, appreciated whatlittle they did have. Eating the thirteen kernels often left acontemplative emptiness in my belly. Of course, after we finished theoriginal thirteen, we were welcome to eat more, but the point wasmade, and it has stuck with me since.

In my military career, I have spent Thanksgiving, myfavorite holiday,at Fort Sill, Oklahoma; Yakima Training Center, Washington; and, now,Camp Virginia, Kuwait. None of those places I would consider my firstchoice to spend the holiday, any holiday, but, again, it gave me anopportunity to think of how lucky I am. This year is the worst, and,at the same time, the best.

Camp Virginia is nothing more than a series of buildings, surroundedby sand berms and guard towers, in the middle of the Kuwaitiwasteland. There is no cultural consolation prize to being housedhere; it's not high on anyone's "to visit" list. It is that vastnessand emptiness, however, that give us all a chance to reflect on howlucky we really are.

We just left Baghdad, where mundane, everyday tasks like groceryshopping are life-threatening. No one trusts anyone; everyone is atarget. Death and destruction are an unavoidable part of life, andkids like my friend Ali grow up in it.

As I reflect on how lucky I am to have left that place, all I canthink about is Ali and the millions of children just like him. Ithink of how bad they have it . . . and how positively Ali, Hidar, andAhmed seemed to accept and handle it. They were still thankful fortheir families, for their friends, and for their lives. They are atrue example of perserverence. I am so very grateful that my brotherand I never had to grow up in their world, and I am similarly gratefulthat my niece will not have to do so either.

We had a very well-intentioned but lackluster Thanksgiving meal at thechow hall this afternoon after our commander shared a few words withus. Most importantly, he pointed out that we are all still here,alive and healthy. That was not what I had expected a year ago, and Iam grateful that our mission changed to the less dangerous PSDmission. We're here; we're alive.

After lunch and a couple of hours of preparation, we had the inauguralFirst Platoon versus Third Platoon Flag Football ThanksgivingChallenge. It was eleven on eleven, with a full offensive anddefensive line. Talk about grudge match; we're all hurting now. Itook a few arms to the throat, hands to the face, elbows to the body,scratches to the arms and face, and a few head to head shots. I wasnot alone. We made it this far without serious injury, but we triedour damndest to get one before we left.

Third platoon won both games by a substantial margin because they arebastards, but it was a great experience nonetheless. That's okay;we'll get 'em next deployment.

This is certainly a Thanksgiving that I will never forget. It won'tbe long until I am home, but, today at least, that wasn't what I wasthinking about. My friends up north, the ones I met and the ones Ihaven't yet met were heavy on my mind as I enjoyed a day devoid ofhelicopters, gunfire, mortars, explosions, or frustrating hoursoutside the wire. I hope that my friends in uniform up north willcome home safe and sound as well, and I hope everyday that real changewill happen, so that Ali and others like him will be able to grow upin the same sense of security that I did. They're grand wishes, Iknow, but if there is anytime to be optimistic, it's today

Now, on to the games.

Game of the Week:​#5 Arrogant Americans vs. #3 DominationStation

This is #3 versus #5. A team trying to clinch a first-round bye versus a team just trying to clinch a playoff berth. Jessen is favored by a large margin on paper, but he'll be counting on Gronkowski to play and Ryan Mathews not to play (allowing Wendell Smallwood to get the bulk of the carries). So, while I'm not calling an Arrogant Americans upset, don't be surprised if it happens.

First off welcome to Week 12 of the AFC. I would like to first off and most importantly like to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving and I hope that everyone has a great Holiday with their families. If you are looking for a Black Friday Deal, Adam Schuster is offering 2-1 on his back alley special. No paying customer walks away unsatisfied or herpes-free. This week, there are a lot of huge match ups. A lot of play off spots on the line and it will be interesting to see how the last few weeks play out this year. There is a four way tie at 7-4, with one slip up, a team could end up in a must win situation next week in Rivalry Week which will make that game that much bigger.

Game of the Week:#3 Doughboys vs. #1 Redlegs

The Doughboys lost last week, they had the longest win streak in the league until their defeat. This game is going to be really close, this game could be a preview of a second round playoff match up. I like the Doughboys to get back on track this week and keep their playoff hopes alive.

Game of the Week 2.0:#4 Cocks vs. #2 Vultures

The Cocks and Vultures both have playoff hopes hinging on this game. The Cocks have the slight edge in this one, but that could shift in the Vultures favor if Gronk is able to get back on the field. A lot of speculation seems to point that Gronk might not play until the playoffs. I like the Cocks in this one, sending the Vultures to the cusp of elimination.